Abraham Bashr Aziz, 19, witnessed the kidnapping of the Christian men last month. He and eight others hid from the gunmen who came for them and made it out of Libya safely. Now he mourns those he lost.

Ahmed Abu Hamda for NPR

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Originally published on February 18, 2015 8:09 am

Over the weekend a video emerged apparently showing the Libya branch of the self-proclaimed Islamic State beheading 21 men. All but one were confirmed to be Christian laborers from Egypt.

While this new variation on brutality shocked people around the world, the horror — and sorrow — hit hardest in a small, poor Egyptian town: Residents say 13 of the men were from El-Aour, a hamlet on the Nile River that is a mix of Christians and Muslims.

On the day people found out about the massacre, the local priest says, there were screams coming from every house and every street.

On Tuesday, in order to offer comfort, the church in el-Aour played a recording of a sermon from the late Coptic Pope Shenouda. In it, he describes the virtues of a martyr: A martyr loves God; a martyr is brave.

Relatives bow their heads in prayer, as they've done every day since the posting online of the gruesome video showing their loved ones being beheaded, purportedly in Libya's capital, Tripoli.

Outside, under chirping birds, men gather on one of the narrow, unpaved roads. The loss of so many residents all at once has devastated the community, a farming village of homes made out of cinder block or mud about 150 miles south of Cairo.

Malak Shoukry's brother, Yousef, is among the dead. He recognized him in the video.

"I prayed for his soul," he says. "I heard him calling, 'Oh Jesus,' as he was beheaded. I'm happy and I'm proud of him. He is a martyr for Christ."

Abraham Bashr Aziz made it home safely from Libya after witnessing the kidnapping last month — but barely. The 19-year-old carpenter was sharing a house with the other victims, but was in a separate room and hid from the gunmen.

"I heard it and I saw that from the window," Aziz says. "I heard them screaming, and I heard them asking about the Christians. They just came to kidnap the Christians."

His voice quakes as he tells the story.

"I was so afraid," he says.

He says the armed men arrived in four vehicles. They took his friends and relatives from the next room, beat them, cursed them and tied their hands behind their backs with plastic ties.

The gunmen had a list of names, and Aziz's name was on that list. But he and eight others managed to evade the gunmen. A Libyan friend smuggled them out of the country.

It has been dangerous in Libya for years, and Libyans are living with near-daily assassinations and kidnappings in some parts of the country, as well as an ongoing civil war. But hundreds of thousands of mostly working-class Egyptians still go despite the risks, because they can't find opportunities at home.

Aziz says he had no choice but to work there.

"I need to live. We're not going for tourism; there is no work here," he says, waving to el-Aour's low-slung homes. "Look at this village."

Attacks on Coptic Christians in Libya are not new; according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, 14 Christians, including an entire family, were killed in Libya just last year. The organization is calling on the Egyptian government to protect its citizens in Libya — and vulnerable Coptic Christians in particular. At least five other Coptic Christians were kidnapped last year by unknown gunmen and are still missing.

Nearby, Samuel Shokr says his two uncles and a cousin were among those beheaded by ISIS.

He walks us into the church to show us their pictures on the wall. He says that for the 45 days the men were kidnapped, no one in the Egyptian government did anything.

"We protested outside the presidential palace and no one would see us," Shokr says. "We tried to contact government officials and no one would answer.

"Yesterday the prime minister came to me here. Why is he coming? He didn't bring them alive, and he didn't even bring their bodies. I don't need him. It's too late."

Outside of el-Aour, critics say the Egyptian government may be using these deaths as a pretext to fight its enemies beyond ISIS. Meanwhile, Egypt hasn't even evacuated Egyptians still stranded in Libya.

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

People around the world have been shocked by the latest video released by the so-called Islamic State, but shock has turned to anguish in a small Egyptian town. The video released over the weekend appears to show the brutal beheadings of 21 men, mostly Christian Egyptians who were in Libya to work. Today, NPR's Leila Fadel went to a town on the Nile River that was home to many of the men. There, she heard stories of grief and of narrow escapes from the ISIS attack.

LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: The local priest in the village of al Our says that on the day people found out about the massacre there were screams coming from every house and every street. Thirteen of the men who were killed were from here.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

POPE SHENOUDA: (Foreign language spoken).

FADEL: Today, in order to offer comfort, the church in this village that residents say is about half Christian and half Muslim played a recording of a sermon from the late Coptic Pope Shenouda.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHENOUDA: (Foreign language spoken).

FADEL: In it, he describes the virtues of a martyr. A martyr loves God. A martyr is brave. Relatives bow their heads in prayer as they've done every day since the posting online of the gruesome video showing their loved ones being beheaded, purportedly in Libya's capital, Tripoli.

Outside under chirping birds, men gather on one of the narrow, unpaved roads. Al Our is a poor farming village of homes made out of cinderblock or mud. The loss of so many all at once has devastated the community.

MALAK SHOUKRY: (Speaking Arabic).

FADEL: Malak Shoukry's brother, Yousef, is among the dead. He recognized him in the video.

SHOUKRY: (Speaking Arabic).

FADEL: "I prayed for his soul," he says, "I heard him calling, oh, Jesus, as he was beheaded." I'm happy, and I'm proud of him. He is a martyr for Christ.

Nearby, 19-year-old carpenter Abraham Bashr Aziz made it home safely from Libya after witnessing the kidnapping last month, but barely. He was sharing a house with the other victims, but he was in a separate room and hid from the gunmen.

ABRAHAM BASHR AZIZ: (Through interpreter) Yeah, I saw that from the window. I heard them screaming. I heard them asking about Christians. They just came to kidnap the Christians.

FADEL: His voice quakes as he tells the story. He says four vehicles of armed gunmen took his friends and relatives from the next room, beat them, cursed them and tied their hands behind their backs with plastic ties. The gunmen had a list of names, and Abraham's name was on that list. He managed to evade them with eight others. A Libyan friend smuggled them out of the country. I ask why he went to Libya knowing the dangers.

AZIZ: (Speaking Arabic).

FADEL: "Because we want to live," he says. There are no jobs here. It's been dangerous in Libya for years, but hundreds of thousands of mostly working-class Egyptians go despite the risks because they can't find opportunities at home. And attacks on Coptic Christians in Libya are not new. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms say just last year 14 Christians were killed in Libya. The organization is calling on the Egyptian government to protect its citizens in Libya and vulnerable Coptic Christians in particular.

SAMUEL SHOKR: (Speaking Arabic).

FADEL: Samuel Shokr says that his two uncles and his cousin were among the group beheaded by ISIS. He walks us into the church to show us their pictures on the wall. He says in the 45 days the men were kidnapped, no one in the Egyptian government did anything.

Do you feel that the government did enough to try to bring your family home safely?

SHOKR: (Speaking Arabic).

FADEL: "No," he says, "we protested outside the presidential palace and no one would see us. We tried to contact government officials, and no one would answer."

SHOKR: (Through interpreter) Yesterday, the prime minister - he came to me. Why is he coming? He didn't bring them alive, and he didn't even bring their bodies. I don't need him.

FADEL: For this village, the grief runs deep. They welcome the Egyptian government's new bombing campaign as an answer to their calls for protection. But outside of al Our, critics say the Egyptian government may be using these deaths as a pretext to fight its enemies beyond ISIS. And meanwhile, it hasn't even evacuated Egyptians still in Libya. Leila Fadel, NPR News, al Our. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.